The Dark Lords Redemption
by Oryansbelt
Summary: Harry Potter has returned to his childhood, with the shadows of his future haunting his every action. His mission for good conflicts with his desire for vengeance against those who betrayed and destroyed him. Dark/Grey Harry. Dumbledore bashing. Some Weasley bashing. rated M for child abuse, bad language, violence and rape. Will be Harry/Hermione eventually
1. Chapter 1

The Dark Lords Redemption

I don't own Harry Potter nor do I earn anything from this writing. It's purely for my own enjoyment. Harry Potter is owned by J.K Rowling.

Authors note: this is my first ever attempt at writing and posting and I am aware it is probably rubbish, but as a twenty four year old truck driver who dropped out of school at fourteen, I thought it wasn't half bad.

Chapter one

Clouds drifted across the night sky, shielding the full moons face from the gaze of the dark lord that watched below. The excitement contained within the dark lord did not show on his face while he waited for the final preparations to be completed. Hooded and cloaked figures moved in the shadows, placing large black stones with glowing red runes and spiraling symbols in a circle. Others stood at the points of pentagram contained within the circle waiting for the right moment and final parts of the ritual to arrive.

"Midnight is almost upon us." The soft and cold voice of the dark lord carried clearly throughout the clearing, the hooded figures paused momentarily and returned to their tasks almost franticly to be ready in time. Failing the dark lord was not a sensible move and none his followers wishes to discover the consequences first hand.

Movement within the trees heralded the arrival of the final parts of the ritual as twenty shackled prisoners were escorted into the clearing, the terror on their faces as they beheld the dark lord clear upon their faces.

"You are almost late Zabini"

"My apologies my lord, an attempt to rescue the prisoners was made an hour ago and I remained at Azkaban long enough to insure it was dealt with properly before I risked moving them." The slightly higher than normal pitch of Zabini's voice was the only indication his nervousness.

"Prepare them immediately Zabini, the window that the ritual must be completed in is fast approaching and I do not wish to wait another seven years for the next Halloween with a full moon to arrive"

Zabini breathed a low sigh of relief and moved away to direct the placement of the prisoners. The dark lord looked back to the clouds and let his mind return to the day he discovered the ancient tomes in the ruins of the Lovegood home that led to his creation of this ritual. Who would have guessed that that the eccentricity of the Lovegoods was a disguise that fooled the entire magical world? The subtlety and nuances of lunar rituals were largely overlooked by the vast majority of wizards, but there was the key to time travel. The dark lord was forced to admit he had never thought time travel possible but the information gleaned from his studies in parseltongue and its uses in necromancy had provided the answer that had eluded generations of Lovegoods: how to sufficiently power a time ritual. As the Lovegoods were a light family, the thought to use the life blood of any creature had never even occurred to them, fortunately for the dark lord; he had no such problems or restrictions. As the undisputed ruler of magical Britain he could do what wanted, how he wanted, when he wanted and no one would dare disagree with him.

"My lord the preparations are complete. Whenever you are ready"

Zabini's declaration brought the dark lords' attention back to the clearing before him. Each of the prisoners were on their knees next to the black stones covered in runes with a hooded and cloaked servant of the dark lord standing behind them with silver daggers pressed against the kneeling prisoners throats. Five wizards in grey cloaks with their faces completely hidden stood within the circle in a pentacle formation waiting for him.

As he strode into the centre of attention a kneeling prisoner began to plead hysterically for her life.

"Please…. Please have mercy….. Let me live, I'll do anything…"

The dark lord turned to the sobbing woman with a faint look of disgust in his eyes.

"You are a stain on the magical world, proof of how far this once great country has truly fallen. You are not worthy of magic or even life. Now both are forfeit"

A spell flew from the dark lord's wand as the woman began to scream in utter terror, hitting her in the face. The noise the woman was generating was abruptly stopped as a gag appeared from thin air and stuffed itself into her mouth.

The dark lord moved to the centre of the pentacle and the wizards in grey leveled their wands at him.

"Do it now" came the command from the dark lord and in a single movement the silver daggers that were at the throats of the prisoners cut deeply into their victims, spraying blood over the rune covered stones that began to glow malevolently, absorbing the power of life that the blood carried. Red lightning streaked out of the stones striking the grey cloaked wizards in the back that immediately began to chant ancient and forgotten spells, the power contained within them shook the air as iridescent blue mist flowed out of their wands obscuring the dark lord.

In the centre of the mist the dark lord waited with his hands clasped behind his back and head bowed. The power he felt in the air entranced him as the blues mist solidified into a glowing blue orb that began to spin around him faster and faster. A feeling of being hooked behind the navel was the last thing the dark lord felt before being pulled from his current reality.

The sensation of falling was not a pleasant feeling as the dark lord was pulled through a tunnel of flashing light but seemed minor compared to the horror and fear the dark lord felt when he saw the blue dome the protected him begin to flicker and disappear. When the dome finally failed, a howl of anger and despair escaped the dark lord as he began to tumble through a realm no mortal should ever see let alone enter. As he fell his body began to disintegrate he felt the presence of another being enter his mind, smashing through his mental defenses as if they weren't there.

As shocked as he was, the dark lord began to attack the mind only stopping when he felt the amusement of the presence invading his mind when it noticed what he was trying to do, so he began to observe the mind that was rifling through his mind, magic and past. Unable to comprehend the mind of the presence, he settled on tasting the flavor of emotions that the mind produced as it judged every aspect of the dark lord. They ranged initially from alarm and anger to disgust and despair and then finally settled on a strange mix of curiosity and guarded hope.

As this was happening, the dark lord's body continued to disintegrate when the presence withdrew from his mind only his head and upper torso remained. With a flick of unspoken thought and massive power from the presence, the remaining body and mind of the dark lord sparkled into pure magic and was drawn away from the tunnel of flashing light and into darkness. Color began to appear in the darkness that flowed around and began to join together and form images of trees, a road, parked cars that seemed vaguely familiar to the mass of magic that had once been the most feared and respected man in Britain. When the images had completed themselves and joined together he felt himself being drawn into them until they were no longer images to him but his reality.

In this familiar world a small boy walked alone along the street oblivious to the mass of magic drawn towards him. He didn't see it, but he felt it when the magic from another time and place entered his body and gave a small cry of pain as he felt it coursing through his body. He stiffened when he felt another mind enter his. The mind was strange and dark and the boy fell to his knees in agony as the dark mind merged with his and they became one.

The dark lord opened his eyes and gave a low groan of pain, with a slight sinking feeling in his stomach he staggered to his feet and lurched over to a parked car and looked at his reflection. His jaw dropped in horror as he saw the face staring back at him. He knew the face intimately, the mop of unruly black hair, the piercing green eyes framed by wire rimmed glasses held together with tape and the ugly scar on his forehead shaped like a lightning bolt. This was his childhood reflection.

"Well fuck me sideways" said a shocked Harry Potter.

The throbbing pain in his back drew his attention, so he pulled of his baggy jumper and saggy t-shirt with difficulty and twisted his body to view his back in the reflection of the car window. The mass of scabs and scars reached from his neck, just below the collar line, to the top of his buttocks, without a single square inch of unblemished skin. Harry looked at the sight for a few seconds before pulling his clothes back on. He needed information about his situation before planning his next move.

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Harry walked into number 4 Privet Drive quietly, listening for any sound that would indicate the presence of his relatives. No sound could be heard so he entered the kitchen to see the morning newspaper sitting on the table. The date in the top corner said Monday 3rd June 1991.

"That makes me almost 11 years old, with a little over nine weeks before Hagrid comes to deliver my Hogwarts letter" Harry muttered to himself. "Though the Dursley's ashes will be well and truly cold by then"

"What are you, mortal?"

The unexpected and unfamiliar voice spurred Harry into action, before he had completely registered his surprise he had spun around and loosed three lethal curses from the palm of his hand towards the source of the voice. The curses that flew from his hand were his speciality; a bone exploding curse to the neck, a vanishing curse to the brain and a piercing hex to the eyes. The curses impacted the head and neck of the shadowy figure that had spoken.

And nothing happened.

"I asked you a question mortal" the deep and somewhat comforting voice said and a shadowy figure moved forward and into view. He appeared to be a man in his early forties wearing an immaculate black three piece suit with a curiously shiny silver pin. Harry took a closer look at the pin and saw it was a scythe and partially unfurled scroll before his gaze was drawn to the strangers' eyes. They were entirely black. No irises, no pupils, no whites but glossy black that seemed to drink in the light around them. The black eyes seemed to expand to Harry and he found himself unable to move.

With a sinking feeling of dread he asked "who are you"

"I am a corporeal manifestation of death" said the man before he reached toward his tie pin and pulled off the silver scroll, leaving the scythe behind. The scroll expanded in his hand and he looked over it briefly before saying "and you are Harry James Potter. Now that we have the introductions out of the way, I would like to remind you that you have yet to answer my question. What. Are. You?"

"I am a wizard" said Harry, unsure of what was really being asked of him.

The man that was death studied him with his black eyes before returning the scroll to his tie pin and taking out the scythe that expanded to its full size in his hands. "Your soul is stained with blood and darkness mortal, yet you stand here before me in the body of a child. I felt reality crumbling, with you at its centre. How is this possible?"

"That is my doing" said a hoarse, whispering voice

Death turned his attention towards the sink and a young man emerged out of thin air. He was naked except for a small loincloth, with curly silver hair streaked with blue and a small hourglass hanging on a golden chain.

"Father Time? What brings you to the mortal realms? "The surprised expression on deaths face quickly changed to one of concern.

With a vague gesture in Harrys' direction the youth replied. "Same thing that brings you here, brother. I assume you felt the tearing of reality earlier?"

"I did" replied Death "But I figured fate had pushed one of her playthings to far again and someone had to fix it. I'm just glad that it wasn't me."

"Oh she did. The bitch tortured the champion of the light side until the pain, loss and sorrow broke him and turned him dark. He conquered the magical world and then ripped reality to shreds by entering my realm. I had to intercede directly, and she wasn't happy."

A sympathetic look crossed deaths face as he said "Is she ever? I try to avoid her when possible, the last time we had a disagreement this world was plunged into a dark age that lasted almost a thousand years. But that doesn't explain why you are here, unless you mean…." Death trailed off as he turned to study Harry again.

"Yes. The boy." Said Time "He was cruelly treated and destroyed the world because of it. I studied him when he was in my realm, and saw his soul wasn't totally corrupted. I brought him here before the damage he was causing spread too far and merged his future self with his former self to eliminate the paradox."

"What do you hope to achieve by doing this?" asked Death "Fate is likely to screw him over again and the blood that stains his soul has turned him dark once already. We should destroy him to rid the problem before it arises again."

Time sighed "Fate tied part of the boys' destiny to another." He looked towards Death and answered the question he saw coming. "Riddle" A dark, seething look of anger appeared on Deaths face and Time sighed again "The boy must face him and the winner will direct the path this world will walk down. Fate pushed the boy too far before so the outcome didn't matter, but I don't want this to be repeated. By merging the mind and magic of his dark future with the innocence of his youth, it has tempered some of his darker tendencies. With the knowledge he has of the future he can change this world for the better if he succeeds in disposing Riddle. And I know you want to get your hands on him."

Death turned back to Harry with a thoughtful gaze and said "He is already too dark to be a champion of light. Even if he had a guide he would never be pure again."

Harry had remained silent as he watched the two impossible figures speak about his past and future and felt compelled to speak. "Do I get a say in this?" he asked in a slightly nervous voice

"What have you to say mortal?" asked Death

"I wished to live and be free." Began Harry "The reason I conquered magical Britain was to achieve this, but betrayal, loss and despair robbed me of my compassion and the blood that you said that stains my soul was necessary to drag this world in the right direction. The sheeple of this world are weak and need to be ruled to survive. Rest assured that I learned my mistake the first time through and you are at no risk of me trying it again, but I have no desire to save this world again. Let it rot."

Death turned back to Time and said "Any ideas?"

Time looked at Harry and said "Yours was a hard life mortal but you destroyed this reality, and I was the one who fixed it. You owe me. Champion the light side and pull yourself out of the darkness you fell to and your debt will be cleared. Fail me and I will ensure you spend eternity living your failures that torture your mind and soul. This is your one and only chance at redemption. Don't fuck it up."

"I will not bow to you or anyone" said Harry coldly "and what do you care about this shithole of a country?"

"I saw your true motivations for trying to travel through time" said Time, ignoring the question. The simple statement shocked Harry and he thought back on why he had tried the time travel ritual. "My reasons for returning were driven by the desire for vengeance." Muttered harry

"Lie to yourself if you desire mortal, but I saw why. This is what you truly wanted, she is alive and you have the opportunity to live your life in freedom and peace. Pay your debt to me and be the man she fell in love with, and you will find the thing you have only tasted in your dreams."

"And what would that be" asked Harry in a subdued tone.

"Happiness" said Time.

Death looked at the boy before him with black eyes. "Did you defeat Riddle in your time?"

"I did" said Harry his mind still reeling from Times' words and the realization that Hermione was still alive. His memories of her final hours still haunted his every sleeping moment.

"Then I trust that you will do so again. Riddle tries even my patience and I have been denied his death for far too long." Death then turned his attention to Time, bowed and said "I will handle it from here Father Time, you have my thanks for your assistance in saving this plane."

Time studied Harry for another moment before saying "Your comment about a guide sounds like the best way to keep this boy on the right path. Let me know if I have to fulfill my threats." He looked around one last time and said "Best of luck, Brother" and faded from existence.

Death then looked at Harry and began to think aloud. "A light familiar will be best I think, what about a griffin?" he looked at Harry for a moment "Nah, too obvious. How about a Kneezle?"

"No" said Harry "they don't mix well with others"

Death smirked at Harry and said "Neither do you. Okay no Kneezle, how about…. Nah they annoy me. I suppose I could get a… Nah they are all extinct. Hah I've got it" he twirled his scythe above his head before slamming the butt of the handle against the floor. A rumbling sound echoed around the room for a few moments before silence returned. A small green spark floated in the air and in a heartbeat the spark flashed into green flames and a small phoenix appeared and perched on top of the scythes blade.

"Greetings Breezyn" Death looked at the small phoenix and said "This mortal needs guidance towards the light, Time saw fit to give him a second chance but he is too dark to do it by himself. Will you help?"

The small green phoenix stared at Harry and trilled a few notes. Death grinned and said "A familiar bond would be best. I'm sure he can take the pain" The phoenix trilled again and Death replied "Whatever you need to do to make it happen. Payment will be in the usual fashion. One favour, one new phoenix" A few moments later the phoenix bobbed its head in a nodding fashion and Death smiled "Good luck Breezyn, I have a feeling you'll need it." The phoenix on top of Deaths' scythe spread its wings and flew towards Harry, transforming into pure fire in the shape of a bird and slammed into Harrys' chest. Fire seared through every inch of Harrys' body and his scream of pain was the last thing he knew before he slumped to the ground, unconscious.


	2. Chapter 2

The Dark Lords Redemption

I don't own Harry Potter nor do I earn anything from this writing. It's purely for my own enjoyment. Harry Potter is owned by J.K Rowling.

Authors note: This chapter is dedicated to shamzika in thanks to her for pointing out the misspelt title. I freely admit that grammar is not my strong suit, but I should have paid more attention to my spelling.

Chapter two

In a simply furnished granite cave, far below the glittering gold and marble of Gringotts, sat an ancient goblin. Sitting on a throne of stone, she looked out with eyes that were blind to the physical world and reached for a small bell that sat beside her. At the first tinkling ring four acolytes entered the cave and bowed to the goblin sitting on the throne. In a whispering voice she began to speak.

"From the darkness steps forth a shadow and the world will shake before him as he sheds the shackles of those who try to control him. Cleansed by fire, the shadow shall champion the light and destroy the taints of evil that march this world towards destruction. Those who wrong him shall burn in fires of their own making; and those who aid him may gain the taste of freedoms long denied them"

With a shuddering gasp she slumped back in her throne, two acolytes leapt forwards and picked her up and took her away to her bedchamber. The remaining acolytes look at each other with shock clear upon their faces.

"This is a major prophecy" said one "the last time a prophecy knocked her out was the night Voldemort died"

"Think we should let the director know?" asked the second "It is a quick and easy way to lose your head if you bother him and everyone knows he doesn't have much patience for divination"

"But a guaranteed beheading if we don't" replied the first "I had just started when Voldemort was destroyed and the other three who didn't tell him until the next day were fed to the dragons for failing their sworn duties" the goblin took a deep breath and then said "I'll tell him, something inside tells me this could be related to the big one"

"The big one" gaped the second goblin "what makes you say that?"

"The last line was 'The taste of freedoms long denied them'. That was in the big one, it can't be a coincidence that they say the same thing" the goblin shrugged "If you don't see me again you will know that I was wrong"

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Even though Harry was unconscious he could feel his body burn, fire seared through his veins and left agony in its wake. The memories of his past began to flood his fevered dreams.

"I'm truly sorry Harry" said Albus Dumbledore, sorrow etched upon his face as he raised his wand and pointed it at Harry "I have failed you and I am sorry. But you cannot be allowed to go free from here" With a twist Harry apparated silently behind Dumbledore and stabbed the ancient wizard in the neck with the dagger he held in his hand.

"Your words are meaningless to me old man" Harry hissed into the dying mans ear "I no longer answer to you, or anyone else. This world will burn by my hand and there is no one who can stop it. Die now Dumbledore, die with the knowledge that you helped create the man I am today" with a savage twist the dagger cut the spinal cord and Dumbledore slumped to the ground. Harry bent down and picked up the wand held in the limp fingers of his fallen foe. Warmth spread through his fingers and a feral smile formed on his lips. "The Elder Wand" He whispered in awe. "And now it's mine" He turned to the members of the Order of the Phoenix who stood frozen in shock. "You have two choices, fight against me and I will destroy you. Join me and you just might live"

The memory changed.

Fourteen figures stood before him in silence, the smell of smoke heavy in the night air. A young woman with red hair moved forward and knelt down on one knee before him, bowed her head and said

"I swear my life, my magic and my loyalty to you and your cause, my lord. Lead and I shall follow you to whatever end"

Silence pressed down upon the group for a few seconds before a man in his fifties knelt beside her and swore the same oath. Harry watched in silence as the rest began to kneel and swear allegiance to him. Without a word Harry picked up a long branch that lay on the ground beside him and pointed his captured wand at in, it glowed blue and vibrated for a few seconds before returning to its previous state. He extended the branch before him and the fourteen kneeling figures gathered around it placing their hands upon the branch. With a tug behind the navel the group portkeyed away, while in the distance flames leapt high into the night sky as Azkaban burned.

Harry groaned in pain as the memories kept coming.

Harry stood in the apparition zone in Diagon Ally, his breath smoking slightly in the cold air. He raised the Elder Wand and pointed it at the Flourish and Blots.

"Malignis Inflammare"

Fire in the shapes of dragons, serpents, chimaeras and many others flew from his wand, as the fiendfyre ripped the bookstore apart and began to consume it. Screams rang throughout the ally as Harry began to stride along it. A man raised his wand and threw an orange hex in his direction, without a pause in his stride, Harry flicked his wand and the hex was diverted, before throwing a reductor curse that smashed through the man's hastily erected shield charm, and splattered his brains on the wall behind him. Harry continued down the ally burning the shops with fiendfyre and slaughtering any person that was foolish enough to try to attack him. Just before he reached the steps of Gringotts the air was filled with popping sounds and thirty Death Eaters apparated in front of him and levelled their wands at him. With a soft crack Voldemort apparated in and moved to face Harry, with his Death Eater force forming up behind him, waiting for the order to attack.

"Well, well, well" Said Voldemort in a high, cold voice "I must admit I didn't think you were this stupid Potter, you are alone, surrounded by my loyal servants, and now you are going to die. None that challenge the might of Lord Voldemort will survive, this country is mine and you do not have the strength to defeat me, your last gamble has failed"

"Actually Tommy, it hasn't" said Harry with a smirk and spread his arms wide and gestured to the carnage behind him "You see I have no intention of fighting you today and all of this... is a diversion. And you fell for it" Harry gave a humourless laugh "you and your most competent fighter are here, leaving the ministry lightly defended. Have fun picking up the pieces" Harry apparated away leaving Voldemort and his Death Eaters stunned.

As the pain Harry felt coursing through his body began to lessen, the pain from his dreams increased.

Hermione took a deep, steadying breath and said "Harry I think I'm pregnant" nervously she looked at his face and breathed a sigh of relief. Harry had a grin a mile wide with tears of joy in his eyes. He took Hermione in his arms and swung her around while she giggled at his antics.

"This is incredible" Harry said softly as he placed her gently back on her feet. Harry stared into her warm, chocolate eyes and leaned towards were and sweetly kissed her "I love you so much" A mischievous grin formed on his lips and he said "Well I guess I had better make an honest woman out of you before tongues start to wag" Harry nimbly dodged the punch Hermione aimed at his arm and reached into his pocket "I had planned to do this before anyway" and he knelt down on one knee "You are everything to me Hermione, my sun and stars. I love you more than anything in this world and I would be nothing without you. Marry me Hermione and let me love you with everything that I am" Harry slowly opened the small black box and held his breath.

"Yes" she whispered "Yes I will marry you Harry" Harry stood and took her left hand felt it shaking in his grasp "I swear I will love you forever" he said and slipped the ring onto her finger.

Harry woke with a start, his head pounding and with tears streaked across his cheeks. The stale smell of sweat made his stomach turn as he squinted in the darkness to look at his surroundings. The slanted roof and close walls told him he was lying on the lumpy mattress in the cupboard under the stairs. Harry tried to open the door and started swearing under his breath when it wouldn't budge. Harry positioned is feet against the door with his back braced against the wall opposite and gave the hardest kick he could. A sound of splintering wood gave him the hope he could escape the claustrophobic cupboard so he continued to kick his feet until the lock gave way and he stepped out, staggering slightly as he stood up straight and arched his stiff back. Harry began to move towards the bathroom, stripping of the rags he wore as clothing as he went. He stepped into the shower and began to wash the sweat from his body. As the water washed over him he remembered his tortured dreams and for the first time felt a rising feeling of horror and shame that made him retch and vomit noisily.

"What happened to me?" Harry mumbled "and why is if affecting me so much?"

Unable to answer either question he turned the shower off and stepped out, catching his reflection in the mirror by the sink. All his bruises and scabs were gone leaving shiny scars in their place; his body had put on a few pounds of muscle and he had grown about five inches taller. The largest change was the elegant tattoo that stretched across his chest. He looked closer and saw the tattoo was of a phoenix with its wings spread. The tips of the wings were on the sides of his shoulders with the leading edge of the wings following the line of his collarbone and the head was in the hollow of his throat. Harry looked down and reached towards his chest and poked the body of the phoenix to see what would happen. He felt the poke and the skin under his finger felt normal, with a shake of the his head he looked back at his face reflected in the mirror and saw two things he had missed at first glance. His green eyes stared back at him without the round wire framed glasses that usually framed them, yet his vision was perfectly clear. He also noticed his scar had changed as well, instead of a vivid red jagged scar it was a very light pink, almost unnoticeable unless he really looked for it.

"This just keeps getting stranger and stranger" muttered Harry "just what in the hell happened to me"

A curious pulling sensation drew his eyes back to the tattoo of the phoenix on his chest. Harry nearly screamed when the tattoo pushed forwards away from his body and a phoenix emerged. The colouring of the phoenix had changed drastically from the last time Harry had set his eyes upon it. Instead of the traditional colouring of red trimmed with gold, the phoenix was now a dark smoky silver that glimmered faintly in the light, trimmed with a deep forest green. The phoenix flapped its wings in a steady beat, hovering in front of Harry. He looked into the phoenix's eyes and saw the eyes of the majestic bird were a copy of his own.

"_Well that was certainly different"_ said a voice that echoed slightly in his mind _"now let's have a proper look at you human"_ The phoenix landed on the edge of the sink and looked Harry up and down_. "Mmm taller, more muscle, no external taint, better eyes, with your injuries healed, and from the look on your face, I would guess you can understand everything I'm saying. Am I right?" _Harry gave a stunned nod in reply and the phoenix continued _"so all in all you haven't changed too much. You can never be certain of the side effects of a full familiar bonding; I heard a story in my youth of a full bonding between a griffin and a witch that didn't quite turn out so well. Anyway where are my manners, my name is Breezyn, and if I heard Death correctly, your name is Harry?"_

"That's right" said Harry as his mind began racing "but what did you mean by a full familiar bonding? And what did you mean about side effects?"

"_Well a full familiar bond happens when two magical creatures bind their minds and magic together. That's what happened to us and both of us have changed because of it. Your body has changed from the tiny tortured body you had to a body shaped by light magic; it will be slightly more resistant to evil and dark magic and if I'm not mistaken will be considered quite beautiful by those of your race. As well as enhancing your body I joined our minds together, unlocking several magical blocks that were within your mind and giving your conscience a much needed boost. I managed to reattach some of your emotions as well, the rest should unlock themselves given enough time and effort. While my magic helped shape your body and start to heal your mind, it also made your magical core swell slightly, making it even more unstable. I would advise you taking it easy casting spells until at least the next new moon, otherwise the results could be rather... unpredictable"_

"So you made me stronger and weaker at the same time?" asked Harry

"_How do you mean?"_

"I have to kill the most evil wizard to have walked upon the face of the earth, not to mention that his minions also need to be destroyed. A conscience on the battlefield is a weakness, a weakness your enemies can exploit to their advantage"

"_You forget that your task is to champion the light Harry, not to unleash war on this world a second time. A true champion of light takes life only as a last resort, not as the default solution to life's problems"_

"My experiences prove the opposite Breezyn; a dead enemy is a harmless enemy"

"_There are more ways to defang a dragon than by killing it"_

"No but it's a damn sight easier to do if it is"

"_And it is the easy road that destroyed this world Harry. I saw many of your dreams and memories while we were merged, and some of the darkest choices you made were made because they were easier for you"_

"You have absolutely no idea of what I have done or why, you feathered fuckwit, save your condescending bullshit for someone who gives a damn" said Harry in an icy tone

"_Ah but that's just it Harry, you do give a damn now and I can see that it's torturing you. Yes your life has been hard but now you have the most precious thing in all creation within your grasp. A second chance. Making the easy decisions won't help you pay your debt to Time, and the girl with brown hair would be forever lost to you"_

With this statement Harry stopped arguing with the phoenix as the truth resonated with him. Perhaps he could do it. Perhaps he could destroy Riddle, his followers and make this world one his Hermione could be proud of, one of equality and peace. A world where what you were on the inside mattered far more than who you were on the outside.

"Maybe you're right" muttered Harry "But it certainly won't be easy"

"_Nothing worth having ever is" Said Breezyn soberly "However we should continue these weighty discussions later, as I find myself in need of breakfast. Stay out of trouble and I shall return shortly"_ with a flash of flame Breezyn disappeared. Lost in thought Harry got dressed in some clean, stretched rags that passed for his clothes and walked into the kitchen.

Vernon Dursley sat at the table reading the morning newspaper when he saw his nephew enter from the corner of his eye. He turned the page and said in a nasty voice

"We came home yesterday to find you unconscious on the floor; from the looks of it you didn't do the decent thing and die. What have you got to say for yourself freak?"

"Well the first thing that springs to mind is to tell you to get fucked, you fat sack of shit, and then I would probably ask you what the hell you would know about decency anyway" said Harry as he walked to the fridge. A strangled shriek form his aunt who was cleaning the window drew Vernon's attention and he saw her staring at Harry with eyes wide in fear, he looked at his nephew and saw what had shocked her. Standing five inches taller with more muscle on him than he should have while he stood straight and proud, meeting his uncles' small and piggy eyes. The total lack of fear drove up the rage within Vernon and he stood and began to unbuckle his belt.

"I can see that the lesson I gave you about respect last week failed to take, how dare you show your unnaturalness in my house. I'm going to have to thrash you that much harder in the hope that you finally get the message" with a cruel smile on his face Vernon advanced towards Harry, swinging the belt in anticipation.

Harry slowly backed away from his uncle until he stood against the stove, and watched as undisguised happiness crossed his uncle's face. He knew his uncle enjoyed whipping his back bloody but he was ready to fight back this time. Vernon walked up close to Harry and towered over him, with a grunt he swung the belt with all his strength at the head of the boy he loathed. Harry pivoted to his left and ducked under the belt, he kicked out sharply with his left leg, his foot connected with the back of Vernon's right knee and the obese man fell heavily to his knees, surprise on his face. Quick as a flash Harry reached across his body with his left hand and grasped hold of the large, heavy frying pan that sat on top of the stove. In a move that would have impressed any professional tennis player, Harry swung the frying pan with all his strength in a backhand blow straight at his uncle's face. With a ringing crash his uncle's head seemed to bounce off the frying pan, sending him falling backwards towards the floor. A shudder passed through the kitchen as the blood soaked behemoth hit the floor like the proverbial tonne of bricks. Petunia Dursley saw her husband hit the floor and gave a scream of rage and rushed towards Harry.

"I'll kill you. You goddamn freak I'll fucking kill you"

Harry raised his right hand and pointed his finger at his charging aunt. The apron that she was wearing tore itself off her body and wrapped itself tightly around her throat, cutting off her ability to breathe. Harry spared a single glance of disgust at his aunt as her fingers tried to loosen the apron. He walked over to his uncle and looked down at his uncle's smashed face. His nose had been considerably flattened by the frying pan and it looked like most of his front teeth had been knocked out and shattered along with his jaw. The blood dripped slowly from his nose, mouth and ears. Harry grasped the handle of the frying pan with both hands, as if it was a sword and raised high above his head.

Authors note: And I think I will leave it there for now. Please read and review.


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